CTIA Fall 2009

We were able to spend some time today with the newly-announced HTC HD2. Let's start off by saying "Wow!"

The HD2 follows in the footsteps of the original HD in that it provides a massive high-resolution screen. It measures 4.3 inches across the diagonal, and rates WVGA on the resolution side of things. What does that mean? It's absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, this is one of the best displays I've ever seen on a mobile phone.

HTC HD2

Click a thumbnail above for a larger view.

Display aside, the HD2 is all about the high-end experience. The materials are high quality metals and plastics. It feels a bit weighty, and of course the large display means it has a significant footprint. Even though the length x width dimensions are sizable, it is unbelievably thin. The back is covered in a rounded metallic skin and the camera module sticks out from the back surface just a wee bit.

On the front the phone, below the display, is a series of buttons that let you send/end calls, as well as access the start menu and jump back to the previous screen/application. All these buttons have great travel and feedback, though they do feel a bit squished down along the bottom of the phone's face.

The HD2 runs TouchFLO, and the first thing I noticed when exploring the user interface was that it was incredibly snappy. Without a doubt, the smoothest, best performing TouchFLO device I've used. HTC admitted that it has a Snapdragon processor inside, but HTC wouldn't cop to the clock speed. Suffice it to say, it's fast, smooth, and so, so fun to interact with.

Right now, this phone is only available in Europe and only supports European 3G networks. When prodded, the HTC spokesperson said, "I should be fired if I can't sell this device in the U.S." In order to bring it to the U.S. market, HTC will need to configure it with either 850/1900MHz 3G or 1700MHz 3G to support either AT&T or T-Mobile.